Dragon in A Forest
by a-purring-bird
Summary: Ryuu is a young teen from a rogue clan that assassinates other clans. But a sinister danger soon threatens his clan and he must learn to survive on his own. On the way, he is welcomed into a village known as the Hidden Leaf Village. Will he accept a new, peaceful life in the village or will he continue following his clan's way and kill?
1. Chapter 1

A group consisting of 20 people with dark gray cloaks on hid in the trees behind a small village. They were the Hayashi clan, a clan that liked killing for fun and power. They were dangerous and known for their notorious deeds. But despite being known as such danger, nobody knew where they resided and they were always moving so no one could ever properly deal with them. People could only hope that their village wouldn't be the one they attacked next.

The Hayashi clan locked their eyes on their next target and waited for orders. The leader, Daichi Hayashi, turned to a boy about 14 years old with brown hair and light hazel eyes.

"How many are there?" he asked.

The boy closed his eyes and focused on the village in front of him. He then opened his eyes and looked at the leader.

"Thirty."

"Good. I knew I could count on you, Ryuu." He turned to the rest of the clan. "I'll take the first kill and then all of you will charge in after. I want 2 to 3 of you at each house. A few of you will stay outside in case some people make a run for it. Kill everyone and be sure no one gets away." The clan nodded in understanding and rushed off toward the village.

The small village was unaware of the danger. Most people were in their house and the few outside were too busy to notice anything. The clan waited behind trees just outside the village while Daichi went in first. He carefully sneaked up behind a man. He held a dagger firmly in his hands and inched closer. Once close enough, he lunged forward and stabbed the dagger into the man's head. The man fell over dead and the rest of the clan charged into the village. The people outside screamed and tried to flee. A few members of the clan went and dealt with them while the others barged into the houses and began slaughtering the villagers within them.

Ryuu saw a house no one had entered yet and decided to enter it on his own. He walked through the house and didn't see anybody at first. Then he went into a bedroom and saw a woman looking fearfully out the window. He got out his dagger and started walking toward her. She soon noticed him and backed up against the wall. She wanted to yell but could only stare in terror.

"Stay still and I'll end this quickly." Ryuu thrust the dagger forward and stabbed the woman in the abdomen, making her gasp. He then twisted the blade, causing blood to spurt out. He pulled the dagger out and the woman fell onto the floor. Blood quickly started forming around her body. Ryuu grinned at his work and left the house to see if there was anybody else he could kill. He then noticed a man trying to run past him. He was about to attack but his mother ran out in front of him and killed the man instead.

"Really, mom?" Ryuu gave her an annoyed look.

"Oh? Did you want to kill him?" she asked.

"Kinda, yeah."

"I'm sorry. I didn't know." She rubbed the back of her neck.

Ryuu sighed. "It's fine. Let's just go to the next house."

It soon became quiet again after every villager was killed. Daichi called for the clan and they met up together at the front of the village.

"That went without a hitch. Good job everyone." He nodded at everyone's good work.

"It's been awhile since we last killed a whole clan," someone said.

Another person chimed in, "Yeah, I was wondering when we would do this again."

"Ahem." Daichi coughed into his fist to get everyone's attention. "Alright. We've had our fun, now it's time to head back home." He took the lead and they headed back into the forest.

As the clan jumped through the trees, Daichi sensed a strange aura in front of him. As they got closer, he was able to tell that it had a cold and sinister feeling to it. He had never sensed such an intimidating aura before. It was clear the clan should stay away.

"Everyone! We're changing course. I sense an ominous aura coming from a group of people just ahead," Daichi shouted.

"Are they after us?" a clan member asked.

"I'm not sure. But if we stay out of the way, we should be fine. Now come on! This way!" He took a left and the clan followed after.

They continued moving through the trees for a few minutes. When they got to a wide, open area, they all jumped down to take a break.

Daichi landed beside Ryuu. "If you sense anybody come near, let me know. Even if it's only one person. Okay?"

"Yes, sir."

Daichi nodded and went on his way. Ryuu walked over to his mother and leaned against a tree.

"We just finished killing a clan so why is Daichi scared all of a sudden?" he asked. "We're the Hayashi clan, one of the strongest clans in the forest. We can take on anybody."

Ryuu's mother shook her head slightly. "Leader Daichi is very accurate with determining how strong someone is and if he sensed an evil aura coming from a group of people, they could be dangerous even for us. It's best if we don't let our guard down."

Ryuu sighed. "I know." He pulled out the dagger from the holster on his right thigh and examined the blade out of boredom.

After several minutes had passed, the clan leader jumped up to a tree branch and called for the clan's attention. "Ok, everyone! Break is over. It's time to get moving!"

"That wasn't a very long break," Ryuu said while putting his dagger away and standing up again.

His mother chuckled. "What? Did you need the whole afternoon?"

"I was joking," he said nonchalantly.

"Really? It's hard to tell with you." She smiled and pinched his cheeks, making him groan in embarrassment.

"Gah! Can you stop?" Ryuu pulled away and rubbed his cheeks.

"Oh, alright. Now let's get going. We don't want to get left behind." The two of them jumped up into the tree branches and followed after their clan.

Daichi glanced around as he jumped from tree branch to tree branch. Something didn't seem right. He stopped and raised his hand to let the others know to stop as well. Clan members mumbled to each other, wondering if there were rogues nearby.

"Ryuu," he called to the teenager. Ryuu landed beside him and closed his eyes, seeing if he could sense anybody coming toward them. After a moment, he opened his eyes and nodded.

"How many?" Daichi asked.

"There's five."

"Hm. Are you sure?"

Ryuu narrowed his eyes, wondering if his leader doubted him. "Yes."

"Okay. Be prepared, everyone!"

The clan waited until four rogues with black cloaks and crow masks on jumped out, clutching black colored daggers. They rushed at the Hayashi clan with their weapons raised. Daichi, Ryuu, and two others clashed weapons with them. Quickly and with ease, the Hayashi clan killed the rogues.

"Now where's the fifth one?" Daichi asked, looking around.

Ryuu looked to his right and saw the fifth enemy fleeing. "Over there!" Without hesitation, he rushed in after the last enemy.

"Wait!" Daichi shouted.

"I got this! I'll catch up with you later!" Ryuu shouted back.

Daichi sighed and shook his head. " Anyway," he looked back at the rest of the clan. "I suppose we're safe now."

"Are you, though?" an unknown, deep voice said. Daichi turned back around and saw 20-30 more rogues in black cloaks and crow masks.

"What?! There's more of you?!" He remembered Ryuu saying there were only five rogues. _Did he lie to me after all? Wait. This aura...!_

The man with the deep voice laughed. "We knew about your little sensory boy and how hasty he is. So we sent a few men on ahead to trick him into thinking that was all you guys had to deal with. And you believed it, thus falling into our trap!"

"Dammit! This is bad," Daichi clenched his teeth.

"What's wrong, leader? Can't we take them?" someone asked.

"That aura I felt earlier came from these people. They're the dangerous ones we've been trying to avoid."

There were a few gasps among the clan.

The leader of the masked rogues spoke again, "Maybe you should have listened to your gut instead of relying on a kid." He and a few others laughed.

"What do you want from us?" Daichi demanded.

The man smirked behind his mask. "We want the title as the strongest clan in the forest. And that means we have to kill your clan. Surrender and we'll give you quick and painless deaths."

"Never!" Daichi raised his arm and lowered it toward the enemy. "Everyone! Attack!"

Meanwhile, Ryuu was chasing after the masked man who had fled. He caught up quickly and slashed his dagger at the man. The man dodged and tried to cut him across the chest but Ryuu blocked with his dagger. He then cut the man's hand, causing him to drop his weapon.

"You're mine!" Ryuu swung his dagger and slashed the man across the throat. He gagged and fell from the tree, crashing onto the ground below. Ryuu grinned. "That's what happens when you mess with the Hayashi clan!" he said proudly. He then turned around and began to head back to his clan.

As he got closer to the clan, he could sense the same auras as the rogues from before and in much greater quantities this time. Ryuu scrunched his eyebrows in confusion._ Why do I sense more of those rogues? What is going on?_ He jumped onto the ground and hid behind a bush. He peeked through the leaves and his eyes widened. Laying on the ground was his clan, all of them dead.


	2. Chapter 2

Ryuu stared at the scene before him. The dead bodies of his clan were laying all on the ground. Among the bodies was the clan leader, Daichi. His chest had been pierced and a giant pool of blood surrounded him. And only a few meters away was Ryuu's mother. She was laying on her stomach with a sword sticking in her back. Her eyes were wide open and she had one arm reached in front of her as if she was trying to crawl away.

Tears streamed down Ryuu's face as his world became completely still and silent. He couldn't process what he was seeing in front of him. His whole clan had been wiped out, including his own mother, and he wasn't there to help when they needed it.

A few of the masked rogues, including the leader, walked into view. Ryuu snapped back to reality and held his breath as he watched.

"Did we get the kid?" the leader asked.

"Not sure."

"Look around. I want all of the Hayashi clan eliminated."

"Yes, sir."

One of the masked men began making his way toward the bush Ryuu was hiding behind. Ryuu crawled away alongside the bushes, hoping to not get caught. When he was far enough away from the rogues, he stood up and began running.

He didn't know if anyone saw him but he wasn't going to stop to look. He ran for several minutes, running until he tripped over a tree root, grunting at the impact with the ground. Getting to his hands and knees, he crawled over to hide behind a tree. _No way! They can't be dead! Those bastards! _Ryuu wrapped his arms around his knees and tried to calm down. Freaking out was not going to fix anything. He wiped away the tears from his eyes and tried to take slow breaths. When he was more calm, he pushed himself off of the ground and slowly stood up. There was no way he could go back so the only option was to move forward. He sighed and began walking.

As he was walking, he heard a rustle behind him. He instantly turned around and got out his dagger, holding it out in front of him defensively. He was expecting to see someone there but there was no one. Then there was another rustle. Ryuu located the sound coming from a bush. He aimed his body toward it and held the dagger tightly, ready to attack. Quickly and suddenly, a squirrel ran out from behind the bush and up a tree. Ryuu heaved a sigh of relief and put his dagger away. Then he turned back around and resumed his journey.

Hours passed and night arrived. Ryuu wanted to keep moving but the dark made it hard to see anything. It also didn't help that his legs were aching and he was sleepy. So he laid down on the ground and closed his eyes to rest for the day. He tried to not think about what had happened earlier. He hoped things would get better but really, he couldn't see that happening. The whole clan was dead. What was he going to do now? Would he be able to survive on his own? Many thoughts went on inside his head but he figured the best thing to do now was focus on sleeping. Maybe things would get better tomorrow.

Ryuu woke up early the next morning. He barely got any sleep and was still aching but he knew he had to get moving again. The clan that killed his own could still be looking for him. And he didn't want to know what they would do to him if they found him.

It wasn't long before Ryuu crossed the border of his clan's territory. It was easy to tell because the further he went into the forest, the more unfamiliar the scenery began to look. The clan had never gone this way so he didn't know what to expect out here. There could be more dangerous people ahead for all he knew but he had no other choice but to go this way.

He kept his guard up and took a few more steps into the new territory before suddenly feeling dizzy. He stopped walking and held his head.  
"W-what's happening?" He tried to take another step but fell onto the ground, unconscious.

Ryuu slowly opened his eyes and sat up. He noticed he was laying in a bed inside of a small, white room. It took a moment for him to realize that his cloak and dagger were gone so he glanced around the room, trying to see if they were in there. He couldn't see them anywhere so he gripped the bed sheets in anger.

A knock on the door caught his attention and he quickly threw the sheets off of him and stood up, ready for whoever was about to walk in. The door opened and a man wearing orange and black clothing with blond hair and blue eyes walked in. Ryuu also noticed a stupid smile on his face.

"It's good that you're awake! My name is Naruto Uzumaki! I'm the Hokage. Nice to meet ya!" Naruto raised a hand in greeting.

Ryuu charged at him with a fist held high. Naruto was taken a bit by surprise but was able to grab and stop the fist in time. Before the kid could try to throw another punch, Naruto grabbed the other fist, too.

"This is a hospital. It is not a place for fighting." He let go and the kid backed away.

"Where am I and what do you want from me?!" Ryuu growled.

"Whoa. Calm down. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. And this is the Hidden Leaf Village. Welcome! I found you laying unconscious in the forest so I brought you here to the hospital to rest up. You must have pushed yourself too hard or something."

"Where is my cloak and dagger?" he said glaring.

"You don't intend on fighting still, do you?"

"I need them. They're important."

"How so?" Naruto asked.

"Why should I tell you?" Ryuu huffed.

"I guess you don't care if I don't get them then?"

"Wait-" He stopped to think for a moment, then sighed. "My clan was wiped out and those items are all I have left to remember them by." He clenched his fists and looked at the ground.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't know."

Ryuu stayed quiet. Naruto could tell that he didn't want to talk about it anymore. "Alright. I'll go get your stuff." He left and came back shortly with the cloak and dagger. Ryuu reached for the items but Naruto pulled them back before he could grab them.

"What now?" Ryuu asked, a bit annoyed.

"What do you plan on doing after you leave here?"

"I don't know. But why do you care?"

Naruto looked at him with sympathetic eyes. "You're allowed to live here in the Hidden Leaf if you want."

"Wha-" Ryuu took a step back. "Y-you're trying to trick me, aren't you?!"

"No, no! I'm being serious!" He faked a laugh to lighten the mood.

Ryuu looked to the side and then back to Naruto. "Would you really just let me live in your village?"

"Of course! I treat everyone here like family! I can get you a place to stay at, too, so don't worry about that." Naruto put the cloak and dagger into Ryuu's hands. He waved and started to leave but stopped. "Oh, I almost forgot to ask! What's your name?"

"Ryuu." He decided not to give his last name in case the Hokage knew about his clan and the things they've done.

"Well, it's nice to have you, Ryuu. Be sure to get more rest, dattebayo." Naruto smiled then left the room, closing the door behind him.

Ryuu looked down at his cloak and dagger and placed them at the foot of the bed. Then he walked over to the window, peering out to see what awaited him after he was released from the hospital.


	3. Chapter 3

After a few days at the hospital, Ryuu was released. Naruto had already shown him where he would stay and he was currently exploring the village. It was like nothing he had seen before. Everything looked so new and advanced. His clan had never attacked a village like this one before. He imagined it would have been difficult. With how many people there were, the security was probably tight.

Ryuu casually walked down the street, looking at everything and seeing what there was. Some people who saw him gave him strange looks. He didn't know why but he just ignored them and kept walking.

Sasuke was just going home when Ryuu walked past him. Not remembering his face in the village before, he turned to look and study him. The cloak was undoubtedly familiar and Sasuke could sense that there was killing instinct inside of him. It was clear that the kid was from the Hayashi clan.

Ryuu soon noticed him staring. "What?"

"It's nothing," Sasuke replied. Ryuu shrugged and continued on his way. The kid didn't seem like he was currently planning anything or about to attack anyone so Sasuke decided it would be fine to leave and go to the Hokage Tower. When he got to the 7th's office, he knocked and entered the room when Naruto answered.

"Sasuke! What brings you here?" Naruto greeted him.

"Are you aware that someone from the Hayashi clan is in the village?"

"Oh, do you mean Ryuu? He's the new member of the village!"

"You're not serious about letting him stay, are you?"

"Yes. Is there a problem?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow.

"That kid is from the Hayashi clan."

"And what about it?"

"The Hayashi are a rogue clan known for killing other clans. This kid you let in should be interrogated right away," Sasuke said sternly.

"Relax, Sasuke. Ryuu is just a kid. Besides, he said he was the last of his clan."

"How do you know he's not lying?"

"I have faith that he's telling the truth."

"And what will you do if he turns out to be a spy? People will be in danger if the Hayashi clan decides to attack."

Naruto frowned. "You really don't trust him, huh? Well, if it bothers you that much, you can scout the area and see if there are any other clan members in the perimeter. I couldn't tell if there were anybody else nearby when I found Ryuu but you are free to search."

Sasuke nodded and left the room. Once alone, Naruto sighed and looked out the window, hoping he didn't make a mistake in letting Ryuu live in the village.

Meanwhile, Ryuu continued his sight seeing of the village. On the way he saw a kid with blond hair and blue eyes. The blond head also noticed Ryuu and walked up to him.

"I haven't seen you around here before. Who're you? I'm Boruto Uzumaki!" he said. Ryuu looked at him, noticing the similarities of him and Naruto. "What?" Boruto put his hands on his hips and cocked his head. Ryuu didn't really care for talking to him but he decided he would put on an act just to see where it would take him.

"You look a lot like the leader of this village," Ryuu finally answered.

"Huh? You mean the Hokage?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, that's my dad. He didn't cause you any trouble, did he?" Boruto laughed. "Anyway, your name? You still haven't said it."

"It's Ryuu Hayashi." He said his last name by accident but the lack of reaction from Boruto made it clear that he didn't know anything about his clan.

"So are you visiting or something?"

"Actually, I kinda just moved in and live here now."

Boruto blinked his eyes in surprise. "Oh! Then let me give you a tour! I know all of the best places around here, dattebasa!" He put his hand on Ryuu's back and started walking him along. Ryuu was confused about why this kid was being so friendly to him. They had just met. If he had known anything about the Hayashi clan, things probably would have been different.

Boruto led Ryuu across the village to a building that had a sign with the name "Thunder Burger" on it.

"This is the Thunder Burger! They have some of the best food in the village! Come on, I'll show you." He went inside, Ryuu following behind him. After Boruto ordered their food, they both sat down at a table and unwrapped their burger. Boruto immediately started scoffing his burger down but stopped when he noticed that Ryuu wasn't eating his.

"What's wrong?"

"I've never had food like this before. It looks a little strange." Ryuu held the burger up to his face and examined it.

"It's food like any other! Just try it. I'm sure you'll like it, dattabasa!"

Ryuu looked at him and then back at the burger. He slowly opened his mouth and took a bite. He chewed carefully and let the flavor soak into his taste buds. His eyes widened and he looked back down at the burger.

"This...is good."

"Right? Heheh."

After taking another bite and swallowing, he looked at Boruto and noticed his headband.

"Does that headband mean that you're a ninja or something?"

"Huh? Oh! That's right!" Boruto adjusted the headband and smiled. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"So do you go and kill people?"

"No, most missions I do are easy ones that don't usually require any fighting. I'm still a genin so I can't do anything too dangerous or cool yet." He scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"Hm." Ryuu looked back at his food and continued eating.

When they both had finished their burger, Boruto led Ryuu to the spot that he and the rest of Team 7 liked to hang around.

"This probably doesn't look very special but this is where me and my team like to hang out." Boruto suddenly noticed someone in the corner of his eye and looked to see Sarada walking up to them. She had noticed Ryuu and was curious. She leaned in close to get a better look at him. "Who is this?"

"This is Ryuu Hayashi!" Boruto replied. "He just moved in and I was just showing him around. Ryuu, this is Sarada, one of my team members."

"Hayashi? That name sounds familiar." Sarada held her chin to think. She then turned to Boruto. "Anyway. Boruto, we have another mission. So let's get going."

"But I haven't finished showing Ryuu around!"

Sarada grabbed his arm. "Come on! We shouldn't be late." She pulled him along with her.

"I'll show you around more later!" Boruto called out to Ryuu as he was dragged away.

Ryuu watched them leave, a confused look on his face. Their interaction reminded him a lot of him and his mother. He shook his head and began walking back home. If he learned anything today, it was that the people in this village were weird.

When he got back home, he noticed the 7th standing by his apartment door. But something about him was different. There wasn't a friendly aura coming from him like from previous times. It confused Ryuu and he wasn't sure how he should act so he just let Naruto speak first.

"I have something serious I want to talk about with you," Naruto said.

"Yeah?" Ryuu asked.

Naruto narrowed his eyes and replied in a stern tone, "Is it true that you're from a murderous clan called the Hayashi?"


	4. Chapter 4

_"Is it true that you're from a murderous clan called the Hayashi?"_

Ryuu's eyes widened and his mouth gaped slightly. How did the Hokage know he was from the Hayashi clan? Did he always know and was just hiding it until now? _No. There is no way this buffoon knew from the beginning._ _Someone must have told him_. It took a few seconds for Ryuu to remember that he had passed by a man earlier who stopped to look at him. That man must have known about his clan and told the 7th.

"And what if I am a Hayashi?" He reached for his dagger.

"You don't have to be scared. I'm not going to hurt you."

"Scared? I'm not afraid of you or anything! If you knew about my clan, you would know that!" Ryuu scowled.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to get you upset. But I'm being honest about not wanting to harm you."

"How can I know that you're telling the truth?"

"I only want to help. You can trust me, I promise." Ryuu relaxed a little after hearing these words but he kept his guard up just in case.

"Then what do you want if you aren't here to get rid of me?" he asked.

"Nothing much. I just wanted to request that from now on, when you go into the village, you should leave your cloak and weapon at home."

"Why?"

"Well, it wouldn't be good if people knew you were from the Hayashi clan."

"You don't think I already know that?" Ryuu huffed.

"Yes, I'm sure you know. But your cloak is pretty telling that you came from a rogue clan. And villagers may feel unsafe or be suspicious of you if they see you wearing it in the village."

"But this cloak is important to me."

"I know it has special meaning to you but this is for the best. Believe me." Naruto gave a small smile to reassure him.

Ryuu stayed quiet for a moment, thinking. "Fine. I won't wear it in the village but only if I can keep bringing my dagger around with me."

"Ok. As long as you don't hurt anyone with it, I'll allow it." Naruto was a little surprised that they both came to an agreement so easily. He was sure Ryuu would refuse to leave his cloak at home but it seemed if he had at least one thing from his clan with him, it was fine.

"Is that all you wanted?" Ryuu asked.

Naruto nodded. "Yes. I'll be off now. If you ever need anything, let me know at the Hokage Tower. See you." With that, he left. Ryuu entered his apartment and took off his cloak. He looked at it for a moment before hanging it on a hook on the wall. He didn't want to stop wearing it around but if it was for his own good, he was willing to hang it up. It wasn't like he was giving it up completely. _That_ he would never do.

The next day, Ryuu kept his side of the deal and walked down the streets without his cloak. Even though people stopped giving him strange looks, it was going to take a while for him to get used to not wearing his cloak all the time anymore. When he was with the clan, he always wore it so without it he felt uncomfortable and vulnerable. But he wasn't going to let this small change get to him. His clan taught him better than to give in to small things.

He continued down the street, hoping he wouldn't bump into that blond headed kid again. Boruto was too upbeat and right now he wanted peace. But as he was about to take a turn, someone called his name. He quietly sighed and turned around to see Boruto. He also noticed a kid with blue hair right behind him.

"There you are! I haven't shown you my other team member yet so I brought him today. His name is Mitsuki!" Boruto showed Mitsuki. "This is the new villager I was talking about," he said to the blue haired boy.

"Nice to meet you," Mitsuki said with a fake looking smile.

"Uh, same." Ryuu raised an eyebrow at the yellow eyed ninja. Something about him seemed strange.

Boruto turned to Ryuu. "I see you're not wearing that cloak today. Did it get dirty or something?"

"It's getting too hot to wear it," he lied.

"That's true. Hey, you have a dagger, right? Are you any good with it?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"If you're experienced at fighting, then I want to spar with you and see how strong you are! What do you say?"

"Sure."

"Alright! Then to the training field, databasa!" He rushed off to the training field. Ryuu was actually a little excited that he would be able to spar but before he could follow after, he noticed Mitsuki staring at him. He decided to ignore him and went to catch up to Boruto. Mitsuki followed shortly after.

Boruto did a few stretches and took out a kunai as Ryuu took out his dagger. There was no one else in the training field so Mitsuki stood by to make sure nothing bad happened. He didn't trust Ryuu and wanted to be there if something happened.

"Do you know any ninjutsu?" Boruto asked Ryuu.

"No."

"Ok, then I'll just stick to my kunai this time. I don't want to put you at a disadvantage."

Ryuu smirked._ Without using ninjutsu, you'll be the one at a disadvantage. _

"What's with that look?" Boruto asked, noticing the smirk.

"Never mind that. Let's just begin."

Boruto shrugged and ran toward his opponent, kunai ready in hand. Once in range, he swung the knife. Ryuu countered with his dagger and the blades clashed together. The kids then broke contact and jumped back to a safe distance. Ryuu decided to attack first this time and slashed his dagger at Boruto. Boruto quickly blocked the attack with his kunai and grinned.

"You're pretty good."

Ryuu ignored him and slashed the dagger again. Boruto jumped out of the way and got ready for whatever came next. Ryuu rushed at him and continued attacking, not letting up his attacks. Boruto was able to block the attacks and dodge them but he soon realized that he had to step it up. He hit the kunai hard against the dagger, trying to knock it out of Ryuu's hands. However, Ryuu was able to shake it off and almost knock Boruto's own weapon out of his hand. Boruto was caught off guard by the attack and the force of the dagger against his kunai caused him to stagger back a bit, triggering Ryuu to sprint forward with his dagger ready to finish him off. He slashed the blade at Boruto's throat, only missing by a few inches. Boruto jumped back to try to catch his breath from the unexpected attack but Ryuu was relentless and tried to go for his throat again. The dagger went straight toward Boruto but he knew he wouldn't get out of the way quick enough. He clenched his eyes shut and waited for the blade to cut into him but it never did. He slowly opened his eyes and saw that Mitsuki had his arms wrapped around Ryuu, stopping the blade before it went into his throat. He took a few steps back, a little in shock. Ryuu blinked his eyes and suddenly realized what he almost did, dropping the dagger in surprise. Not sensing any more killing intent, Mitsuki let go of him.

"D-did you try to kill me?" Boruto asked.

"No! I mean, I wasn't trying to! It was just...instinct..." Ryuu looked away sheepishly, hoping to be forgiven. It wouldn't be good if the son of the Hokage thought he was a bad person. That could cause trouble for him and he didn't want to deal with any of that.

Boruto thought for a moment and figured that Ryuu was ashamed of what he did and didn't mean any harm, so he walked up to him and patted him on the back. "Don't worry about what happened! I'm fine so it's all good!"

"Really?"

"Yeah!" He bent down to pick up Ryuu's dagger and handed it back to him. Ryuu took it and nodded in thanks. Boruto smiled and put his hands in his pockets. "But what kind of training did you undertake to cause you to fight so intensely? Was it that harsh or something?"

"I guess you could say that."

"Well, let's call the spar there and go get a burger! I'm starving!"

"Uh, okay."

The two kids began leaving the training field but Boruto noticed that Mitsuki wasn't following them.

"What's wrong, Mitsuki?"

"It's nothing."

"Come on, then!" He turned back around and resumed leaving the ground with Ryuu.

Mitsuki began following his team mate but watched Ryuu carefully with narrowed eyes. Accident or not, his suspicions had only grown after seeing the Hayashi almost kill Boruto.


End file.
